The California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), which owns the iconic ‘Got Milk?’ trademark, is launching a new phase of the long-running campaign, ‘You Can Always Count on Milk’ that utilizes kids to great effect and is designed to appeal to millennial families throughout California.

The CMPB, together with lead agency-of-record Gallegos United, today (July 11) is launching the new $16m, statewide advertising initiative. The campaign, with both English and Spanish-speaking spots, highlights the everyday challenges kids face in their lives, using a comedically honest tone that’s just as fitting for adults.

In one spot, kids are seen at a table, talking over the rough days they’ve had. One girl states how tough her time at ‘Take Your Kid to Work Day’ was for her, while another laments the diorama she had to make for class. The third nails his rough day by stating that he got cast as a fence in the school play, then states that his allowance negotiations are being low-balled. They all commiserate over glasses of cold milk, brought by a sympathetic and familiar server. In a six-second spot, a kid with a glass of milk by a jukebox states, flat out, that he doesn’t trust any man who doesn’t drink milk.

Two Spanish language spots show similar tough days for kids. In one, two kids observe their friend being fawned, hugged and pinched by overly-friendly relatives, much to the chagrin of the lovingly mauled child.

The spots illustrate that no matter how tough daily life can get for the average kid, milk is the one thing they can continue to count on.

‘You Can Always Count on Milk’ is the first campaign for Gallegos United, and partner agencies Rox United and Canvas United, following the CMPB’s decision to consolidate advertising agencies in early 2018 to better focus on all California which is more diverse than ever within millennial households, which are led by the growing multicultural audiences, a key growth segment.

“California is a complex market, one that is rapidly evolving on a number of fronts, from demographics and media landscape to technology and lifestyle,” said Steve James, executive director of the CMPB. “As a result, what it means to be a Californian has evolved since the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign was launched 25 years ago. As one of the most diverse states in the US, our future success lies in reaching consumers through culturally-attuned campaigns that connect and resonate with what it means to be a Californian today.”

Added chief executive officer of Gallegos United, John Gallegos: “Today’s culturally diverse consumer straddles multiple cultures, not just ethnicity. For milk, our strategy is to take a consumption-based focus and lean into it to create strategies and creative that are more culturally attuned for the composition of today’s families, enabling us to resonate with the entire California market to drive growth.”

The ‘You Can Always Count on Milk’ campaign will touch all California consumers and advertising will be unified across all segments with English and in-language communications in Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog.